1. Field of the Invention
A composting device for the biodegradation and recycling of household waste and, more particularly, organic kitchen waste.
2. Prior Art
Organic waste recycling methods in which organic waste such as kitchen waste and newspaper are deposited into a composting container are well known in the art. Composting devices normally provide interim storage for such waste and provide and maintain environmental factors, including moisture, air, warmth and certain bacteria and worms (such as Eisenia foetida, Eisenia hortensis or Eudrilus eugeniae) and other wormlike organisms. The organic material is composted or digested to produce a pleasant smelling, uniform, well granulated compost that can be recycled as a plant food. Such devices are, in essence, bioreactors, wherein waste feed stock is converted into a desired product (compost) which may be inexpensively removed from the bioreactor for distribution, most preferably in a continuous process.
Numerous composting devices have been patented and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,261 to Warrington, U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,934 to Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,534 to Criss, U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,344 to Warkentin and U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,124 to Inoue. However only a few claim the ability to process ALL kitchen wastes. Unfortunately, these earlier art devices possess inherent deficiencies which have prevented them from becoming popular with consumers. There is a continuing need for a composting device that is inexpensive, easy to operate and adapted for home use.
It is a first object of the invention to provide a device operable for converting organic kitchen waste into compost.
It is another object of the present invention to provide means for receiving organic kitchen waste and maintaining an environment suitable for the biodegradation of the organic kitchen waste.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a composting device that meets the foregoing objectives and which is adapted to be operable in a range of climatic conditions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a composting device meeting the above objectives that can be sold in kit form and assembled by the end user.
The present invention discloses an earthworm or vermiculture based device for composting organic kitchen wastes, specifically fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, fats, oils, and bones. The device consists of a container having six rectangular parts: two sides, a top, a front, a back, a removable reversible cover, and an optional base. The container is provided with a sealable compost extraction opening which is disposed on the front panel of the container at its inferior surface. Variably dimensioned ventilation openings in the sides, front, and back provide for aeration of the bin. The front part or panel and one surface of the cover of the container is painted with a dark sunlight-absorbing color in order to solar heat the interior chamber defined by the container. The opposing side of the cover is painted white in order to substantially reflect sunlight, hence preventing chamber overheating during the warmer seasons or in tropical climates.
To operate the device, the consumer adds kitchen waste to the container through the top. A layer of soil, or bedding material such as shredded newspaper, or compost from the extraction opening, is placed over the waste. The worms, Eisenia fetida, Eisenia hortensis, Eudrilus eugeniae or other appropriate species act upon the waste in concert with aerobic microorganisms to convert the waste to compost. The finished compost may be periodically removed from the extraction opening and dispersed around the yard to recycle the nutrients.
The chamber temperature may be regulated by reversing the cover, and/or by orienting the front to face South in northern geographic locations, or to face North in areas in the southern hemisphere. In colder climates, or where sunlight is unavailable, insulation may be added to the exterior of the bin, and heating cables or heating mat may be attached to the inside of the container in order to maintain optimum chamber temperature. The thermal gradient thus formed by solar or other heat source draws oxygenating air in through the inferior ventilation openings, up through the bedding and wastes, and thence carries out through the superior ventilaton openings carbon dioxide and excess water vapor produced during the composting process.
A kit for home assembly is provided in one form of the embodiment. Detailed plans provide the do-it-yourself individual information for construction in another embodiment. Both embodiments would include seed populations of appropriate worm species as well as microbe inoculants.
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. However the invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: